Packaging box and method of point of purchase display

ABSTRACT

A shoe display assembly and method for point of purchase display is presented that includes a plurality of shoe boxes, each shoe box having a box body and a lid covering an opening in said box body. The box body has a width dimension and a height dimension, the width dimension being less than the height dimension. The box body further is configured to releasably receive a handle. The assembly further includes a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe boxes. The shoe rack comprises at least one shelf having a lip to retain the boxes on the shelf. The plurality of shoe boxes are rested on the shelf with the lid of each shoe box being mounted to a bottom surface of the shoe box. A first shoe is disposed within each shoe box and a second shoe is disposed on the first shoe such that the first and second shoe are disposed in a vertically stacked arrangement.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to a packaging box and a method for efficiently displaying the interior of the packaging box, and, more particularly, to a shoe box for holding the shoes in a vertically stacked arrangement such that the box has a greater height than width, and a method for displaying the shoes by aligning the shoe boxes adjacently along a shoe rack and selectively mounting the handle to the shoe box upon purchase.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

It is well known that men's, women's and children's shoes incorporate a number of design features that are both functional and aesthetic. These design features are frequently visible on the outside of the shoe and represent a significant source of marketing value. In footwear retail establishments, it is traditional to display shoes on slanted shelving. And, in the discount shoe retail industry, in order to manage the number of employees per store, the shoes typically are displayed in their respective box to enable the customer to select a desired shoe and take the shoes in the box to the counter for purchase without the need for assistance.

Typically, one or both members of a pair of shoes are displayed in a normal right-side-up orientation with the soles in contact with the bottom of the box or, alternatively, in a side-by-side relationship with the soles facing opposing side walls of the box. For space-saving purposes, the shoes in the side-by-side relationship have the toe area of one shoe opposing the heel area of the other shoe such that the shoes are nested. The lids of the boxes are placed on the bottom of the box to reveal the contents of the boxes as the boxes are rested on the slanted shelving.

A problem with this typical shoe display arrangement is the inefficient use of the shelving space. It is desirable to maximize the number of shoes being displayed on each shelf. Placing the shoes in a side-by-side arrangement requires the box width to be sufficiently wide as to accept this side-by-side shoe orientation. Either side-by-side arrangement (i.e., upwardly facing or nested) consumes more shelf space along the length of the shelf than a shoe box arrangement that is formed with a single width of vertically aligned shoes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a shoe display assembly comprising a plurality of shoe boxes, each shoe box having a box body and a lid covering an opening in said box body. The box body has a width dimension and a height dimension, the width dimension being less than the height dimension. The box body further is configured to releasably receive a handle. The assembly further includes a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe boxes. The shoe rack comprises at least one shelf having a lip to retain the boxes on the shelf. The plurality of shoe boxes are rested on the shelf with the lid of each shoe box being mounted to a bottom surface of the shoe box. A first shoe is disposed within each shoe box and a second shoe is disposed on the first shoe such that the first and second shoe are disposed in a vertically stacked arrangement.

In another aspect, a method of point of purchase display for a pair of shoes is provided. The method comprises the steps of providing a plurality of shoe boxes, providing a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe boxes, the shoe rack comprising at least one shelf having a lip, and displaying the plurality of shoe boxes on the shelf such that the lid of the shoe box is disposed below and about a lower part of said box body to expose one of said pair of shoes stored in said shoe box, and such that the plurality of shoe boxes are disposed in a side by side arrangement and adjacent to one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are perspective views of adult and children shoe boxes of the present invention showing a pair of shoes in a vertically stacked arrangement;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the shoe boxes as the shoe boxes would be viewed on a display rack with the lid removed;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a shoe box of the present invention with a handle attached thereto;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a shoe box of the present invention with a handle attached thereto;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of shoe boxes of the present invention as the shoe boxes would be viewed on a display rack with the lid removed; and

FIG. 6 is a partial view of the engagement member of the handle of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the packaging box equipped with a handling structure of the present invention. The packaging box 10 has a box body 12 made of a cardboard such as corrugated fiberboard or paperboard. The thickness of the cardboard paper stock preferably is between 0.47 mm up to 0.95 mm in thickness or between 350 lb. to 700 lb stock. The box body 12 further includes a lid 14 that is releasably secured to the box body. The packaging box 10 is formed of an approximately rectangular parallelepiped box with two pairs of opposite side walls 12 a and 12 b, base wall 13 and lid 14. These walls combine to define an interior 16, which may accommodate shoes or the like.

Lid 14 is selectively removable from box body 12 and likewise comprises two pairs of opposite sidewalls 14 a and 14 b. Lid 14 is mountable to either the top portion of box body to facilitate transfer of the box without losing the contents or lid 14 may be mounted to the bottom of box body 12 to display the interior of the shoe box and thus the contents therein. Lid 14 preferably is configured with semicircular notches 24 in the pair of opposite side walls 14 b that form the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the box body 12.

To one pair of the respective opposite side walls 12 a and 12 b and preferably to the pair of opposite side walls 12 b that form the end surface in the longitudinal direction of the box body 12, a bandlike handle 18 is insertable and engages respective ends of the box body. The handle 18 is formed by a band or the like made of paper or synthetic resin with a predetermined thickness, elasticity and rigidity. The box body thus comprises an insertion slit 20 preferably formed at a position above approximately the midline of the side walls 12 b in the vertical direction. The insertion slit 20 has on both ends an upwardly concave or bent recess path 22 for preventing the cracking of the insertion slit 20 and for facilitating the insertion of the tip of the handle 18 and also for securing its engagement with an engaging part provided on the end of the handle 18. The insertion slit 20 has a breadth which is slightly narrower than the breadth of the handle 18, and is formed by an incision that is substantially horizontal or curved convexly upward. The insertion slit 20 may also be formed by an oblong aperture with a fixed vertical width.

It is to be understood that handle 18 alternately may be mounted to side walls 12 b by adhesive or by riveting and further that the handle may be constructed of other material, such as rope. In a preferred embodiment, however, both ends of the handle 18 are provided with engaging members 21. Each engaging member 21 is formed, as illustrated in FIG. 6, by forming an area of reduced cross-section or neck 22 in handle 18 immediately adjacent the engaging member 21. The engaging member thus forms a convexly circular portion 21 a and a pair of retaining walls 21 b extending outwardly from each side of neck 22. Engaging member 21 extends for a span 24 from neck 22 to the farthest extending portion of circular portion 21 a. This span 24 is less than the length of the incision and the semi-circular shaped member 22 is thus insertable into side wall 12 b of the box body 12 at the insertion slit 21 by inserting engaging member 21 sideways into slit 20. The retaining walls 21 b of engaging member 21 prevent the engaging member from slipping-out of slit 20 because the slit length is less than the width of the retaining member and walls 21 b engage box body 12. It is to be understood that the entirety of the handle 18 need not necessarily be formed into a bandlike form, and a gripping section at the central part in the longitudinal direction of the handle may be made narrower having a circular cross-section.

As shown in FIG. 3, the handle, when lifted, fits snugly against the lid 14 of the box. The notches 24 permit the handle to exit the box body 12 and fit snugly against lid 14.

It is to be understood that the shoe box of the present invention for containing vertically stacked shoes may be used on its own or in conjunction with a shoe rack for displaying the novel shoe box. For a typical shoe store location, numerous racks, indicated generally at 30 are set up throughout the store. Each rack 30 includes a rack wall 32 having numerous metal shelves 34 vertically separated and extending downwardly from the rack wall at about a 45 degree downward angle. Each shelf has a turned-up lip 36 to hold the boxes 10 on the shelf. The shoes are presented on the shelves in the shoe box 10 according to size and the lid 14 of each box is placed on the bottom of the box body 12. The handle 18 is not mounted to the box body 12 to further maximize the shelf space and to provide an unimpeded view of the interior 16 of the shoe box 10. The array of boxes are placed in close proximity to each other in order to maximize the number of shoe boxes that can be presented along the longitudinal length of the each shelf. It is to be understood that the shoe boxes may be arranged according to other parameters (e.g. styles) without departing from the scope of the present invention.

To transport the packaging box 10 from the retailer, the consumer selects the desired shoe and transports the shoe box 10 to the purchasing counter. At the counter, the lid 14 is placed on the box body 12. The handle 18 will be mounted to the box body 12 by the sales representative. The consumer can thus grasp the handle and transport the packaging box 10 and the contents. To reach the contents, the consumer grasps handle 18 and pulls downwardly such that handle 18 is placed away from the lid 14, if necessary and then removes the lid from the box body 12.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that the shoe box with handle of the present invention has a number of advantages, some of which have been described above. Also, obvious modifications and variations can be made to the handle fitting structure of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited as necessitated by the accompanying claims. 

1. A shoe display assembly comprising: a plurality of shoe boxes, each shoe box including a box body and a lid covering an opening in said box body, the box body having a width dimension and a height dimension, the width dimension being less than said height dimension, the box body further being configured to releasably receive a handle; a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe boxes, the shoe rack comprising at least one shelf having a lip, wherein said plurality of shoe boxes are rested on the shelf with the lid of each shoe box being mounted to a bottom surface of the shoe box, and wherein a first shoe is disposed within each shoe box and a second shoe disposed on said first shoe such that said first and second shoe are disposed in a vertically stacked arrangement.
 2. The shoe display assembly defined in claim 1 wherein each shoe box further comprises an insertion slit on opposite ends of the shoe box and a handle, the handle comprising two ends, each end being selectively mateable with the insertion slit of the end of the box.
 3. The shoe display assembly of claim 1 wherein the shelf is mounted at an incline to the rack at a mounting end of the shelf such that the lip of the shelf is oriented vertically below the mounting end.
 4. The shoe display assembly defined in claim 1 wherein for at least one box of said plurality of shoe boxes, said lid is disposed below and about a lower part of said box body to expose said second shoe stored in said shoe box.
 5. The display assembly defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of shoe boxes are disposed in a side by side arrangement and adjacent to one another.
 6. The display assembly of claim 1 wherein the width of the shoe box is sufficiently wide to receive the width of a shoe.
 7. A method of point of purchase display for a pair of shoes, the method comprising, providing a plurality of shoe boxes, each shoe box containing a pair of shoes and having a box body and a lid covering an opening in said box body, the box body having a width dimension and a height dimension, the width dimension being less than said height dimension, the box body further being configured to releasably receive a handle, providing a shoe rack for displaying the plurality of shoe boxes, the shoe rack comprising at least one shelf having a lip displaying the plurality of shoe boxes on the shelf such that the lid of the shoe box is disposed below and about a lower part of said box body to expose one of said pair of shoes stored in said shoe box, and such that the plurality of shoe boxes are disposed in a side by side arrangement and adjacent to one another.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of providing a plurality of shoe boxes further includes providing shoe boxes such that each shoe box further comprises an insertion slit for receiving a handle.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of: providing a handle releasably securable to the shoe box, and securing the handle to shoe box such that the shoe box is transportable through holding the handle, the handle being secured to the shoe box after selection and removal of the shoe box from the shoe rack.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of: repositioning the lid from the bottom of the lower part of shoe box to an upper part of the shoe box to cover the shoes.
 11. A shoe box for storing a pair of shoes in a vertically stacked arrangement, the shoe box comprising; a box body having a pair of opposite side walls, a pair of opposite end walls, a base wall, the pairs of side walls and end walls defining an interior for receiving the pair of shoes, the pairs of end walls further defining a box body width, the box body width being operably configured to receive only one shoe width, the pairs of end walls and side walls further defining a box body height, the width of the box body being less than the height of the box body; and a lid covering the interior of said box body, the lid being frictionally retained on said box.
 12. The shoe box of claim 11 wherein the shoe box further comprises a handle and wherein the box body is operably configured to receive the handle.
 13. The shoe box of claim 12 wherein the box body further comprises an insertion slit on the end walls of the box body and the handle is selectively mateable with the box body and comprises an engaging member for insertion and retention in the insertion slit.
 14. The shoe box of claim 13 wherein the engagement member comprises engagement walls that engage end walls of the shoe box as the engagement member is inserted in the insertion slit to thereby retain the handle in the box body.
 15. The shoe box of claim 12 wherein the handle is secured to the box body by a rivet. 